promises of Gen. conf

We are both so excited about the upcoming General Conference.  The emotions around here are soaring with anticipation.  One friend of mine said it was time for my semi-annual "holiday"!  That is true!  I find myself giddy and my mind whirling and wondering what inspired revelation will be shared.  I keep trying to get myself calmed down.  My mind is jumping like water spattered on a hot skillet!

Being Co-D (and trying not to be that!) I want to share every solitary feeling about every scripture and talk I've read about the value of General Conference.  Surely I know that you have your own excitement level!  Of course you are aware of the same things as I am and yet...this drive to share and tell and relate and repeat just reveal that I'm gobsmacked before the event even happens!!!

You know that I keep making reference to having a hard time trying to adjust and figure out how to manage my life.  Last week, 1:30am, I sat sobbing in my chair and feeling I could not wake my friend up and I felt alone and needed to talk to someone and there was no one available.  And then...the Spirit let me know...I'm here. Talk to me.  Pray. And so I did.  Seeking answers...how can I manage my life and not feel overwhelmed and really feel the Spirit and etc. etc.  Peace came and yes, so did the answer.  Increase your Gospel Study. I have.  It is working!  Also I understand how to better cope.  I can't verbalize those feelings yet but yesterday when I shared my testimony at Church, I shared... I am happy.  I should have said...I am joyous.  That is my current state of mind.  I will enjoy every single second of this feeling with such gratitude.  Gilead's Balm usually ends up needing to be re-applied!

For now...do yourself a huge Conference-Prep favor and watch/read -Finding Safety in Counsel - Elder Eyring here

Our Daughter...

My Daughter

technically she is our daughter but I always claim her as private property it seems.  As you know she is on the Camino De Santiago Pilgrimage and walking 556 miles!  She is precious and priceless and adorable and was born a peacemaker plus she is compassionate and kind.  She loves unconditionally and is always in a state of gratitude.  With her artistic eye she always finds the beauty wherever she is and in whatever she is doing.  She is a source of joy to her Mother!  (as you can tell!)

Sooo...she acknowledged, on one of her YouTube videos, about getting stronger daily and then mentioned, just in a very natural, matter of fact, conversational way...I'm loving my body and thankful for it.  I find that beautiful thinking...empowering and expressing gratitude.  Refreshing to hear from a woman, in today's body-image faultfinding world--total acceptance and gratitude for her body.

(You are welcome to follow her journey  here  So far she has lost a toenail/dealt with bed bugs/battled a heat wave and a lot of pain...all that, plus other challenges, while walking 7 hours or so a day!!  I'm a cheerleader and not a participant!!)

celebrating...

Today was a monumental day for us...our wedding anniversary!  Umpteen years ago when we got married the preacher gave the traditional vow, that we were to repeat after him....

from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.

We then exchanged rings.  We were pronounced man and wife and embarrassingly enough were told that he should kiss his bride.  I remember a quick peck was exchanged.

Our vows also had some clause that I would love, honor and obey.  I don't remember what Terry agreed to.  It was a regular part of wedding ceremonies at that time.

Years later we were able to erase the death do us part clause with for time and all eternity.  That Temple ceremony that comes with our Church membership has been the reason, the foundation, the bedrock of our long marriage.

You need something like that if you begin you married life as clueless late teens.  Terry always claims a yeh, but...  Yeh, but I turned 20, 5 weeks later, so technically I wasn't really a teenager.  I have no idea how his math works on paper but in his mind that is an accurate equation.

We married for absolute pure love and passion and the desire to have a family.  That was it.  We had no other things on our list.  That extremely short goal list enrolled us in the School of HardKnocks.  We actually went onto Grad school for further enlightenment on Life Skills for the Clueless and even ended up with a Doctorate in Realities of Life.

Our love has endured being put through the wringer at times but we always end right-side up.  It is steady and comforting and secure and cozy.  The feeling of just being able to relax, flaws and all, and not be self-consious about bedhead and saying what you think and telling how you feel is a great gift in my book.  

His muscle tone has lessened, his hair is a beautiful white, his skin has wrinkled, his balance is bad, he has health challenges but to me he is still absolutely the most handsome man alive no matter what else is going on with him.

We don't think alike on most subjects...he is a news hound and loves to watch old Olympics and nature videos and Abba and Amiria and Sissell and follows people that live out of buses and stuff like that...then he loves to tell me about these things. He knows that I'm polite and listen with a vacant stare.  that puts him under obligation then to listen to me tell him about a local theatre production that I went to or a book I've read on a subject that he could care less about.  We each have perfected the art of head nodding and facial expressions while thinking other thoughts.  Even with that masquerade that we do...he will tell me that he is glad we visited...I enjoy talking with you.

But...we are totally on the same page when we talk about our family or the Gospel.  We connect at the heart on those subjects.  We pray together twice a day. Together we listen to a couple of Conference talks a day.  We talk about LDS news and what we've read.  We both love General Conference.  He wants me to go to the Temple weekly as he feels it blesses both of us.  We both have testimonies of Living Prophets and the list goes on and on.

And we love our family.  all so different.  all so unique.  all so precious to us.  and our grandchildren!!...we adore them.  and now!...3 great-grands!!!  We have wonderful by law in-law children.  They are loved so much. We talk about our family, a lot- but we are bad about calling and talking and being in touch like we need/want to do. We do stay in touch with our original 5 and they reach out to us.  

So another year of being together.  Terry feels it's a long time.  I feel it's just life moving ahead.  I don't seem to grasp how an age feels unless I've already lived it!  Terry feels old (in 5 weeks he will be 80)  80 is a number to me and I don't feel it's old.  it's just a number.  He says it is old.  I realize that I have moved from feeling 25 years younger than I am, to feeling 20 years younger than I am.  So I guess I too am aging!

We celebrated with me picking up Chinese food at the Panda Garden Restaurant in Sunnyside.  Marie Callendar furnished a pie for our feast.  We sat beside each other at the dinner table and enjoyed our meal and eating together.

We have reminisced off and on all day.  We love each other and are thankful for sharing our lives with each other for 61 years!  

My heart is tender.

Here is a picture from 5 years ago at McCall with all 5 of our children.

Enjoy!

Full circle!

I was thrilled to see this picture and quote from the meeting at Safeco Field just 3 days ago.  Yes...that prophecy is in process and we are a part of it!!  I have watched it inch ahead since 1979 and now it has arrived for sure!  I feel misty-eyed at thinking of what will now unfold.  The upcoming General Conference at which there will be no Priesthood session and this year there will be a General Women's Session!  It will be amazing!!  39 years since President Kimball's wife read that historic statement.  Enjoy hearing it again  here  and here and think of what an amazing day we live in!

Each life ....Hymn #293

Today was Rose's funeral.  Funerals are so comforting to me and so telling and revealing of things (sometimes) that you didn't know about the person.  Rose had planned her funeral.  When Steve came by that day and gave me the tomatoes, he told me Rose had sent a request list of songs she wanted, to the Bishop. One by one she texted him. They were heavy metal...titles that would be rather shocking at a funeral... AC/DC Highway to Hell! etc. etc. Her Bishop told her....No!  and No!  and NO!  Steve told me that she had insisted that when her casket was wheeled in, she wanted the pianist to play...Pop! Goes the weasel!  Another No! and NO! and NO! !

Steve said that she wanted that so much that he was going to make sure the pianist played it - no matter what the Bishop said- because that was what Rose wanted.

The Chapel was full and the requested large Community Choir was all seated and it was about 15 minutes before the start time.  Steve comes in and goes up to the stand and starts whispering to the pianist (super gifted woman that accompanies the Choir) and smiling...and then she is smiling...and then Steve is thanking her--my stomach sinks!  Surely not!!

Yes!!   Rousing chords rolling with full energy.... Pop! Goes the Weasel!! ... fills the room, as the casket is wheeled in! The Bishops face looked startled and then he smiled and shook his head in disbelief.  Later in his remarks, which were my favorite of the day, he acknowledged the requested Play list and said that Rose won that one.  He said he had not approved this and he would be having a serious talk with her when he saw her again!

I was sitting on the side where the family walked past as they entered the Chapel and when the pianist started that song, they all broke out smiling and it was just what Rose wanted.  She wanted fun and laughter at her funeral.

Rose and her sister had been pranksters since they were girls and the entire family knew and enjoyed all of her tricks.  Steve's talk was filled with her pranks!

Rose loved bunnies and she had stuffed bunnie animals.  There were a couple of flower-filled bunnie vases on the podium.  Steve had mentioned her love of bunnies.

Her sister, Carol, (who kept with that lighthearted theme and showed up in a very colorful tie-dye T-shirt) said she would explain why Rose loved bunnies so much.  She shared that their Mother had given them a book when they were young and Rose loved the story about Barrington Bunny.  She then read the entire story out of the book.  She was one of the best readers I've heard in a long time.  Maybe winner over-all!  It really did give insight into Rose's character hearing that story and seeing her lovely sister.  Carol was so tender as the story ended.

I was so inspired by the story that I came home and figured out what the book was and have ordered my copy!  It's called... The Way of the Wolf  by Martin Bell link. Rose's Mother certainly prepared her for eventually receiving the Gospel and following Christ. 

The Community Choir (of which Steve is a member) filled all of the choir seats and their two numbers were just beautiful.  

I didn't go to the graveside as I needed to get home but I know Rose was happy with the events of the day.  I went out the sidedoor and not out the casket side, for those going to the burial, but I do wonder how the two woman that she chose as pall bearers held up.  Literally.  They weren't honorary but actually going to help carry the casket! Steve said he put strong men in also so the women would be okay.  I'm going to call Spring and see how that went!

I wear my silly pin with the cat dangling from the branch and know it's a Hold On!! message, from my unique/quirky/sweet/kind/loving/gentle/tender/spiritual friend and I will always have a smile on my face when I put it on.  

She looked very peaceful, and yes, beautiful at the end.

Friends and life!  I cherish both!!  xoxoxox  to you from me!!

In honor of Rose...I share a meme that she would have loved!!....

She arrived!!

Well, things will now settle down...at least somewhat!

Me being the cheerleader for SmartPhones!  Yeppers, you heard it here!  I could have done a TV ad in praise of such phones.  Why?...you ask.

Our daughter is doing that Camino De Santiago pilgrimage.  Alone.  The thought of her traveling and being up for hours on end as she traveled from Florida to France (2 planes & 3 trains) was enough to make my sleep so restless the last few nights!  To have my SuperSmartPhone ring this morning and there was my darling daughter's beautiful face... talking to me! to her Dad!  to her brother! It was just a bit of heaven.   I feel so good to have seen her and talked to her!!

No matter how old the child- we never stop mothering!!  never!  Not the hovering and bossing around mothering... just that loving concern/hope/prayer that our child falls to no harm.  We don't want anything to happen to our children except all things good and wonderful.  Fairytale for sure!  We all know that life is a test and all sorts of unexpected and unwelcomed and overwhelming things/events happen to us and to our precious children (no matter their age).  It was so reassuring and for the first time, in 3 days, I feel I can relax.  (Now she only has those 500+ steps to do!)

Today she posted her first YouTube from there.  I was thrilled with it.  She has prepared for almost a year to do this trek and wanted more than anything to share it with others.  I was astounded how she put the video together and the things she'd planned worked out!  I'm totally prejudiced, of course, but really...I think it looks like a film crew is filming it -the segment when she gets her passport and chooses her shell. Her walking through the village.  Oh, I just think it's all incredible that she can do that!!

I feel I can now relax a bit and will not be talking about her Camino journey every day.   Really, I'll not do that!

Look at this...didn't she do amazing??  link

a great thought...

I'm not a coffee/tea drinker but I really like this thought....